Interposer structures can be used in the manufacturing process of single and multi-chip modules (SCMs or MCMs) to electrically connect one or more integrated circuit chips (ICs) to a printed circuit board, discreet IC electronic packaging, or other substrates. The interposer provides conditioning of various forms of energy propagating along the contained internal interposer conductive pathways located between an energy source and an energy-utilizing load such as an IC. The interposer can provide energy paths between the IC chips and a PC board or substrate, and if desired, between different active component chips mounted on the interposer, itself.
A main disadvantage of conventional approaches to interconnecting and packaging of IC chips in Multi Chip Modules (MCMs) arises from the thinness of the substrates used in traditional multichip modules results in the energy feeds to the IC chips having relatively high impedance. This results in undesired noise, energy loss and excess thermal energy production. These problems are relevant and can be critical to system integrity when routing or propagating energy along pathways though an interposer substrate.
Electrical systems have undergone short product life cycles over the last decade. A system built just two years ago can be considered obsolete to a third or fourth generation variation of the same application. Accordingly, passive electronic components and the circuitry built into these the systems need to evolve just as quickly. However, the evolvement of passive electronic componentry has not kept pace. The performance of a computer or other electronic systems has typically been constrained by the operating frequency of its slowest active elements. Until recently, those elements were the microprocessor and the memory components that controlled the overall system's specific functions and calculations. Nevertheless, with the advent of new generations of microprocessors, memory components and their data, the focus has changed. There is intense pressure upon the industry to provide the system user with increased processing energy and speed at a decreasing unit cost. EMI created in these environments must also be eliminated or minimized to meet international emission and/or susceptibility requirements.
Processor operating frequency (speed) is now matched by the development and deployment of ultra-fast RAM (Random Access Memory) architectures. These breakthroughs have allowed an increase of the overall system—operating frequency (speed) of the active components past the 1 GHz mark. During this same period, however, passive component technologies have failed to keep up with these new breakthroughs and have produced only incremental changes in composition and performance. These advances in passive component design and changes have focused primarily upon component size reduction, slight modifications of discrete component electrode layering, dielectric discoveries, and modifications of device manufacturing techniques or rates of production that decrease unit production cycle times.
In addition, at these higher frequencies, energy pathways should normally be grouped or paired as an electrically complementary element or elements that work together electrically and magnetically in harmony and in balance within an energized system. Attempts to line condition propagating energy with prior art components has led to increased levels of interference in the form of EMI, RFI, and capacitive and inductive parasitics. These increases are due in part to manufacturing imbalances and performance deficiencies of the passive components that create or induce interference into the associated electrical circuitry.
These problems have created a new industry focus on passive components whereas, only a few years ago, the focus was primarily on the interference created by the active components from sources and conditions such as voltage imbalances located on both sides of a common reference or ground path, spurious voltage transients from energy surges or human beings, or other electromagnetic wave generators.
At higher operating speeds, EMI can also be generated from the electrical circuit pathway itself, which makes shielding from EMI desirable. Differential and common mode noise energy can be generated and will traverse along and around cables, circuit board tracks or traces, and along almost any high-speed transmission line or bus line pathway. In many cases, one or more of these critical energy conductors can act as an antenna, hence creating energy fields that radiate from these conductors and aggravate the problem even more. Other sources of EMI interference are generated from the active silicon components as they operate or switch. These problems such as SSO are notorious causes of circuit disruptions. Other problems include unshielded and parasitic energy that freely couples upon or onto the electrical circuitry and generates significant interference at high frequencies.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/561,283 filed on Apr. 28, 2000 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/579,606 filed on May 26, 2000, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/594,447 filed on Jun. 15, 2000 along with U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/200,327 filed Apr. 28, 2000, U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/203,863 filed May 12, 2000, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/215,314 filed Jun. 30, 2000 by the applicants relate to continued improvements to a family of discrete, multi-functional energy conditioners. These multi-functional energy conditioners posses a commonly shared, centrally located, conductive electrode of a structure that can simultaneously interact with energized and paired conductive pathway electrodes contained in energy-carrying conductive pathways. These energy-carrying conductive pathways can operate in an oppositely phased or charged manner with respect to each other and are separated from one another by a physical shielding.